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2014 Nissan Leaf Details Unveiled

The 2014 Nissan Leaf is sure to give the Chevy Volt a run for its money this year. The Volt inched out the Leaf last year in US sales (23,094 sales vs 22,610 sales), but the Leaf was plagued with consistently low supply compared to demand. That has reportedly now been addressed.

2014 Nissan Leaf details have just been unveiled. Pricing is almost the same as last year — starting at $28,980 ($21,480 after the federal tax credit, 18,980 after that and the California EV rebate, and $16,480 after the federal and Georgia tax credit) rather than $28,800. The $180 difference is due to inclusion of the Nissan RearView monitor.

The car’s range on a full charge has increased from 73 miles to 84 miles, while the Leaf’s fuel economy has increased from a combined 99 MPGe in 2012 to 114 MPGe this year (city = 126 MPGe, highway = 101 MPGe). More pricing details, Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices* (MSRP), are as follows:

LEAF S

$28,980 USD

LEAF SV

$32,000 USD

LEAF SL

$35,020 USD

Destination and Handling $850 USD

Following the news release, Nissan & Renault Chairman & CEO Carlos Ghosn said: “We are now on a trend of 3,000 cars a month in the US, which is about 36,000 cars. The next step is moving up to 4,000 a month, which is going to be approximately 50,000.”

In 2013, Nissan saw its Leaf sales more than double, going from 9,819 in 2012 to 22,610 in 2013. December 2013 set a record for Nissan Leaf sales, 2,529. But production should be ramping up after some trouble with supply chain bottlenecks. If we do see 36,000 sales of the Nissan Leaf in 2014, that would be strong progress towards a doubling by 2015.

For 2014, LEAF is powered by an advanced lithium-ion battery composed of 48 compact modules and a high-response 80kW AC synchronous motor that generates 107 horsepower and 187 lb-ft of torque, providing a highly responsive, fun-to-drive experience that is in keeping with what consumers have come to expect from traditional, gasoline-powered vehicles. Unlike internal-combustion engine-equipped vehicles, LEAF’s powertrain has no tailpipe and thus no emission of CO2 or other greenhouse gases while being driven.

LEAF can be charged up to 80 percent of its full capacity in 30 minutes when equipped with a quick charge port and using a DC fast charger. Charging at home through a 220V outlet is estimated to take approximately five hours with the 6.6 kW onboard charger (approximately eight hours with the S grade’s standard 3.6 kW charger). The advanced lithium-ion battery pack carries an industry-competitive warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles.

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The Volt doesn’t qualify for the HOV lane. That’s the only reason we are buying one.

sdmike

it does in CA

anderlan

I wish next generation they might give themselves space in the chassis for a 40kwh battery, so they could offer multiple configurations, but still keep the low end for the good opening price point.

On a long road trip with a 24kwh battery (and the availability of chargers that can saturate your battery along the way), you are limited to 45mph. 28kwh raises this to about 55mph (who remembers when the speed limit was 55 everywhere?). 32kwh brings it to 61mph. That is getting to be more like it. That’s not a difficult trick for Nissan to pull off, especially since, like I said, they can maintain their economical entry level price.

(As a side note but also a huge benefit, the higher energy configurations would also be higher power, so imagine a 107, 125, and 143hp LEAF depending on battery config. Wheeeeh.)

The other side of this equation is saturating their dealers (and wherever/however else they can) with Qick Chargers. And making sure those chargers can deliver the full 40kW needed to saturate a 32kwh pack. Battery size determines maximum charge speed, which determines maximum trip speed, but only if the stations can put out. I don’t know how much Nissan has built up their EE talent, but designing battery banks for installation at dealers with QCs (like Tesla has at their superchargers) should be something they are looking into. The dealer network is the one advantage they have over the supercharger network.

(BTW, with the highest level L2 charging in the LEAF (6kw) the maximum road trip speed is 20mph and change. Yeah. You’re not going far without QCs.)

A Real Libertarian

What does charging power and max speed have to do with anything?

anderlan

In my entirely wishful expansion of battery size options, I am presuming that a 1/6th larger battery would have 1/6th more power, input and output–charging and driving. More cells recover more miles faster when given enough power.

It’s just interesting to look at all the benefits of bumping up the LEAF’s pack size, even just a little. I wish they would do it. I brought it up since we’re talking about the [disappointingly unremarkable] new aspects of the 2014 model.

bussdriver78

I read the range of the car hasn’t changed. The reason for the change is that the US GOV rates the cars using 80% and 100% charging modes and with the 2014 Nissan removed the 80% charge mode which boosted their ratings with the US GOV. What we need to know is if Nissan still tells people that the best battery life is when you charge to 80% — the whole reason for that mode in the first place. Did the new batteries fix this? Did they hide the 80% charge mode or kill it off simply to boost their US ranking? Is the software the same in Japan or EU– do they have 80% charge? do they tell those customers to preserve batteries by using the 80% mode?

Kyle Field

The leaf’s “fuel efficiency” has improved 15% as noted in the article. That alone will increase the range as it really means that the electric motor requires less charge to go the same distance. I’m not sure about the EPA ratings change…that seems pretty drastic to go unmentioned. Either way, this is a good looking car with attractive guts and numbers.

Omega Centauri

That was my interpretation as well. Maybe they made it more Aerodynamic. Its also possible the GOV rules for a “standard” drivie/driver have changed to make it easier (i.e. EVs do better at lower speeds). If they have improved the efficiency thats a big plus.

Amy Clavero Real

Leaf and Volt are not the same technology. Leaf and Spark EV are. Problem is, GM is not marketing Spark EV.

http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan

Natch, but they do compete. Some people buy the Leaf who might buy the Volt. Some people buy the Volt who might buy the Leaf. For a ton of people, the Volt can be driven on electricity 90%+ of the time.

Bob_Wallace

Some people who drive a Volt might decide to buy a LEAF the second time around or as a second car once they realize how infrequently they actually need to extra range.

Wind Energy

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